Roux Scholar Ian Scaramuzza is the new chef de cuisine at Mélisse in Los Angeles

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

Chef Ian Scaramuzza is the new chef de cuisine at  Mélisse Restaurant in Los Angeles, a former two Michelin star restaurant owned by chef Josiah Citrin and chef partner Ken Takayama.

The Roux Scholarship 2015 champion last week announced that he had left his role as head chef of In Situ, the One Michelin Star restaurant located inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA) owned by chef Corey Lee, where he worked for the past four years,

Ian has now revealed that he will be taking the reigns at Mélisse, a modern French restaurant located in Los Angeles. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Ian Scaramuzza (@ianscaramuzza)

 

 

 

Set to reopen on June 3rd, the chef said he was "looking forward to showing you what I’ve been working on these past few weeks," adding that he is searching for new members to join his team,

"If you are interested email your resume to [email protected] or send me a DM."

The restaurant, originally launched in 1999, received two Michelin stars, the first in 2009 and the second in 2010. In 2019, chef owner Josiah Citrin - who also owns acclaimed restaurants Mélisse Santa Monica, Charcoal Venice, and Dave’s Doghouse - decided to take it in a new direction. citing changing times, demographics, and dining needs as well as a desire to bring something new to the restaurant's most loyal patrons. 

The restaurant was thus split into two concepts, Mélisse and Citrin, with Citrin being the more casual side, with an a la carte offering, shared plates and a bar area, and Mélisse a more intimate space where up to 28 guests can try out the chef's tasting menu.

To give you an idea, Ian shared a picture of one of the dishes he's been working on in the run-up to reopening: 

 

About Ian Scaramuzza

Prior to moving to the United States, Ian worked for Geoffrey Smeddle at l'Etain, following him to The Peat Inn when he left; then moved to work for Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, staging at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social, at The Ledbury, The Greenhouse, at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Restaurant Sat Bains and The Vineyard while he did; and for Claude Bosi at Hibiscus, who, along with Andrew Fairlie, encouraged him to take part in the Roux Scholarship in 2015.

In Situ, where Ian worked for the past three and a half year, is Corey Lee's third restaurant after his three Michelin-star flagship Benu and Monsieur Benjamin, is like an extension of San Francisco's most celebrated art gallery: it exclusively serves dishes thought up by other chefs, proposing a curation of what Corey considers to be the best plates of food from around the world.

The menu features dishes from Michael O'Hare, Michel Gerard, Tim Raue, Ferran Adrià, Paul Cunningham, Esben Holmboe Bang, Clare Smyth and Simon Rogan.

Ian admits to having always wanted his own restaurant, but now, it would seem, isn't his time. In an interview with podcaster Paul Newbegin two years ago, the chef said that he didn't want to make the mistake of rushing into something. 

He said: "A lot of people jump in a little bit early and I don't know if they'll all be around in years to come, so I think I'm going about it in another way, making sure when I do something,  it's the right thing and it's the right time." 

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor 1st June 2021

Roux Scholar Ian Scaramuzza is the new chef de cuisine at Mélisse in Los Angeles